historical and cultural guide to the current environment in Lebanon

1. A BRIDGE BETWEEN TWO WORLDS
LEBANON

2. HISTORY
• 1920 1 September - After the
League of Nations grants the
mandate for Lebanon and Syria to
France, the State of Greater
Lebanon is proclaimed. It includes
the former autonomous province
of Mount Lebanon, plus the
provinces of north Lebanon,
south Lebanon and the Biqa,
historically part of Syria.

3. History II
• 1940 - Lebanon comes under the control of
the Vichy French government.
• 1941 - After Lebanon is occupied by Free
French and British troops in June 1941,
independence is declared on 26 November.
• 1943 March - The foundations of the state are
set out in an unwritten National Covenant
which states that Lebanon is an independent
Arab country with ties to the West but which
cooperates with other Arab states while
remaining neutral. The 1932 census which
had shown that Christians were 54% of the
population is used as the basis for the
distribution of seats in the Chamber of
Deputies (later known as the National
Assembly) on a ratio of six to five (later
extended to other public offices). The
president is to be a Maronite Christian, the
prime minister a Sunni Muslim and the
Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies a Shia
Muslim.
British troops advance into Syria

4. HISTORY III
• 1943 November-December -. France agrees to
transfer power to the Lebanese government
from 1 January 1944.
• 1957 - President Kamil Shamun accepts the
Eisenhower Doctrine, announced in January,
which offers US economic and military aid to
Middle Eastern countries to counteract Soviet
influence in the region.

5. HISTORY IV
• 1958 14 July - Faced with
increasing opposition which
develops into a civil war,
President Shamun asks the US
to send troops to preserve
Lebanon's independence.
• 1958 15 July - The US, mindful of
Iraq's overthrow of its
monarchy, sends marines to re-
establish the government's
authority.

6. HISTORY V
• 1967 June - Lebanon plays no active role in the Arab-
Israeli war but is to be affected by its aftermath
when Palestinians use Lebanon as a base for
activities against Israel.
• 1969 November - Army Commander-in-Chief Emile
Bustani and Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)
Chairman Yasser Arafat sign an agreement in Cairo
which aims to control Palestinian guerrilla activities
in Lebanon.

7. HISTORY VI
• 1975 13 April - Phalangist
gunmen ambush a bus of PLO
members in Beirut, in retaliation
for a Palestinian attack on a
church in the same district. Civil
war begins
• 1976 June - Syrian troops enter
Lebanon to restore peace but
also to curb the Palestinians.
• Civil war (1975-1990) destroys
much of Beirut and other parts
of Lebanon
Beirut after the Civil war

8. HISTORY VII
• 1978 14/15 March - In reprisal for a
Palestinian attack into its territory, Israel
launches a major invasion of Lebanon,
occupying land as far north as the Litani
river.
• 1978 19 March - UN Security Council (UNSC)
passes Resolution 425, which calls on Israel
to withdraw from all Lebanese territory and
establishes the United Nations Interim Force
in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to confirm the Israeli
withdrawal, restore peace and help the
Lebanese government re-establish its
authority in the area.
• 1978 - By 13 June Israel hands over territory
in southern Lebanon not to UNIFIL but to its
proxy mainly Christian Lebanese militia
under Maj Sa'd Haddad.
Israelis attack into Lebanon 1978

9. HISTORY VIII
• Palestinians continue attacks on Israel from
Lebanon
• 1982 Israel launches a full-scale invasion of
Lebanon, "Operation Peace for Galilee
• 1982 14 September - President-elect,
Bashir al-Jumayyil, is assassinated. The
following day, Israeli forces occupy West
Beirut,
• 1982 21 September - Bashir's elder
brother, Amin al-Jumayyil, is elected
president.
• 1982 24 September - The first contingent
of a mainly US, French and Italian
peacekeeping force, requested by Lebanon,
arrives in Beirut.
• Buffer zone set up
• 1983 17 May - Israel and Lebanon sign an
agreement on Israeli withdrawal, ending
hostilities and establishing a security region
in southern Lebanon
Israelis Invade “Fatahland” again 1982

10. HISTORY IX
• 1983 23 October - 241 US
marines and 56 French
paratroopers are killed in two
bomb explosions in Beirut,
responsibility for which is
claimed by two militant Shia
groups.
• 1985 - By 6 June most Israeli
troops withdraw but some
remain to support the mainly
Christian South Lebanon Army
(SLA) led by Maj-Gen Antoine
Lahd which operates in a
"security zone" in southern
Lebanon.

11. HISTORY X
• 1988 22 September - When no
candidate is elected to succeed
him, outgoing President Amin
al-Jumayyil appoints a six-
member interim military
government.
• Lebanon now has two
governments - one mainly
Muslim in West Beirut, headed
by Al-Huss, the other, Christian,
in East Beirut, led by the
Maronite Commander-in-Chief
of the Army, Gen Michel Awn.

12. HISTORY XI
• 1989 14 March - Awn declares a "war of
liberation " against the Syrian presence in
Lebanon.
• 1989 November - President-elect Rene
Mu'awwad is assassinated on 22 November and
succeeded by Ilyas al-Hirawi on 24 November.
The following day, Salim al-Huss becomes prime
minister and Gen Emile Lahoud replaces Awn as
Commander-in-Chief of the Army on 28
November.
• 1990 13 October - The Syrian air force attacks
the Presidential Palace at B'abda and Awn takes
refuge in the French embassy. This date is
regarded as the end of the civil war.
• 1990 24 December - Umar Karami heads a
government of national reconciliation.
• 1991 - The National Assembly orders the
dissolution of all militias by 30 April but
Hezbollah is allowed to remain active and the
South Lebanon Army (SLA) refuses to disband.

13. HISTORY XII
• 1991 22 May - A Treaty of Brotherhood,
Cooperation and Coordination is signed
in Damascus by Lebanon and Syria and a
Higher Council, co-chaired by their two
presidents, is established.
• 1991 1 July - The Lebanese army defeats
the PLO in Sidon so that it now confronts
the Israelis and the SLA in Jazzin, north
of the so-called "security zone".
• 1993 25 July - Israel attempts to end the
threat from Hezbollah and the Popular
Front for the Liberation of Palestine-
General Command (PFLP-GC) in
southern Lebanon by launching
"Operation Accountability", the heaviest
attack since 1982.

14. HISTORY XIII
• 2000 24 May - After the collapse of
the SLA and the rapid advance of
Hezbollah forces, Israel withdraws its
troops from southern Lebanon, more
than six weeks before its stated
deadline of 7 July.
• 2005 February - Former prime
minister Rafik Hariri is killed by a car
bomb in Beirut. The attack sparks
anti-Syrian rallies and the resignation
of Prime Minister Omar Karami's
cabinet. Calls for Syria to withdraw its
troops intensify.

15. HISTORY IX
• 2006 July - Israel launches air and sea attacks on targets
in Lebanon after Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group
captures two Israeli soldiers. Civilian casualties are high
and the damage to civilian infrastructure wide-ranging.
Thousands of people are displaced. In August Israeli
ground troops thrust into southern Lebanon.
• 2006 August - Truce between Israel and Hezbollah
comes into effect on 14 August after 34 days of fighting
and the deaths of around 1,000 Lebanese and 159
Israelis. A UN peacekeeping force, expected to consist
of 15,000 foreign troops, begins to deploy along the
southern border.
• 2006 September - Lebanese government forces deploy
along the Israeli border for the first time in decades.

16. HISTORY X
• Developments in Lebanon since 2007
--recent elections ( 14 March Movement)
--Shi’a obstacles Blocks forming Lebanese
government
Campaigning in Beirut
President Michael Suleiman

17. THE LAND
• A Beautiful country
ravaged by decades of
war
• Slowly coming back
together but still…..
• …a battleground for
competing ideologies,
great powers and
designs of neighbors

18. Beirut
• Much of old Beirut
has been destroyed
and replaced by steel
and glass
• The reconstruction is
a reflection of the
indomitable spirit of
the Lebanese

19. MOUNT LEBANON
• Skiing and hiking
and independent
of spirit.
• An area populated
mostly by
Maronite
Christians

20. THE BI’QA
• A beautiful
valley famous
for wines and
agriculture
…and
unfortunately
• A terrorist
training ground
• Mostly Shi’a

21. SOUTH LEBANON
• Ravaged by wars
for decades this is
biblical lands where
every step has
history,
• Populated mostly
by Shi’a and some
Christians

22. THE SHOUF
• Another picturesque
region of Lebanon
• Home of the Druze
• Battleground
between Christians
and Druze

23. NORTH LEBANON
• An agricultural and
historic region
• Centered around the
city of Tripoli
• Historically the
center of Arab Sunni
nationalism
• Some Christians in
the mountain areas

24. THE PEOPLE
• 4 million
• 26% Shi’a Muslim
• 26% Sunni Muslim
• 40% Christian
• 8% Druze
Christians continue to leave
and their numbers may
be significantly less

25. The Christians
• Most are Maronite (Roman
Catholic)
• A second large group are
Greek Orthodox
• There are also numbers of
Greek Catholics and
Armenian Orthodox

26. THE SHI’A MUSLIMS
• The traditional
underclass of Lebanon
• Have begun to use
their numbers and
militant organizations
such as Hezbollah to
acquire power in
Lebanese politics
The Ashurah

27. THE SUNNI
• The Sunni of Lebanon live
primarily in the cities
• They have often tacitly
formed an alliance with
Maronite Christians to keep
the Shi’a at bay
• They do not have a strong
militia

28. THE PALESTINIANS
• 200,00 + Palestinians
still living in refugee
camps, many since
1948, unable to return
or obtain Lebanese
citizenship
• A source of unending
problems

29. IN LOOKING AT A CULTURE WE WANT TO AVOID STEREOTYPING
Stereotyping; The concept that all Arabs react the same way all the time.
We are presenting a modal personality
A Modal personality is the personality most often found within a certain culture.
The Attributes of Middle Easterners presented in this briefing are a starting point for
further study. There are many variations with the middle east depending on region,
socio-economic class, urban/rural origins and religious background

30. THE CULTURE; DON’Ts
• Avoid talking about American policies in the Middle East or Lebanon. Particularly
avoid talking about Israeli policies or US support of Israel.
• Avoid the Palestinian issue if at all possible. There are over 200,000 Palestinian
refugees in Lebanon and while most Lebanese support their cause few like the
Palestinian people and most Christians are vitriolic in their view of the
Palestinians.
• Do not talk religion, even if you are baited to do so. You will that Christians
because you are assumed to be a fellow Christian will often launch into an anti-
Islamic tirade. Stay away from this subject
• Do not assume because of the provocative dress and demeanor of some of the
urban women that they are Western in their relations with males. Often only the
dress is Western , not the mentality
• Do not assume all Muslims think the same way or all Christians. There are some
major differences in the mind set between the Orthodox Christians and the
Maronite Roman Catholic. The same is true for the Sunni, and Shi’a Lebanese,
and all are different from the Druze.

31. THE CULTURE; DO’s
• Lavish praise on the Lebanese food and hospitality. It is difficult to surpass
anywhere in the world.
• Do mix with the locals and talk to them and find out what their family
problems may be
• Lavish praise on those working for you or with you. Accentuate this praise
with small gifts often
• Do understand that the Lebanese culture is similar to an iceberg and what
you see is only a small part compared to the mass underneath. Therefore
guessing as to motivation is a hazardous business
• Do praise the beauty of Lebanon and its independent spirit and the
endurance and grit of the people to live through three decades of turmoil
• Do continually observe and read about Arab /Islamic/ Lebanese culture
• Do keep an open mind and listen to a number of viewpoints

32. Communication
in Arab World
• High Context
• Love of Arabic
• Loud, repetition,
emphatic gestures,
verbose, use of hyperbole
• The Power of Words
It is not so much what you say…
it is how you say it

33. THE POWER of ISLAM
Pervasive
Self-confident
The only real truth
Galvanizes, motivates, and sometimes
enervates the society
I AM OK ……YOU ARE NOT
You should know the basics of Islam,
The importance of the Qu’ran
The Hadiths, (traditions) and their effects
Know the holidays
Know how the Shia and
Sunni Muslims parted company and the
differences today
Understand that even a “secular” muslim
believes the State exists under God and the
“good society” is one operating within
Islamic traditions
Mufti Kabbani
Shiekh Fadlallah

34. Christianity in Lebanon
• Understand that the
Christians in Lebanon are
divided and different sects
have very different outlooks
• Understand that the
Maronites do not consider
themselves Arab
• Understand also that some
Maronites,in particular’ can
be as extreme in their views
as radical Muslims
Cardinal Butros Sfeir, head of
Maronite Church in Lebanon

35. Lebanese Military
• Soldiers conscripted for a 6-
month period, but many
never serve
• Army has history of
ineffectiveness
• “new” Lebanese Army
trained and equipped by
French and US
• Still polarized by sectarian
differences

36. CULTURAL CONTRAST
• US culture : to do
–Achievement
–Self-reliance
–Independence
–future
Arab culture: to be
Ascribed
Family
Depend
heritage

37. Discussion TRAPS TO AVOID
Religion
Israel/Palestine
US policy
IT IS A LOSE LOSE PROPOSITION

38. REMEMBER THIS!!
Spend time with your host

39. FINAL TIPS
• Lebanese are a very sophisticated people and
probably know a lot more about the international
scene than you do
• The urban middle and upper class are very conscious
of their positions in society and act and dress
accordingly
• The Lebanese culture is like an iceberg…you only see
the tip…so interpreting why things happen is
dangerous. Be cautious!

40. QUESTIONS/COMMENTS?
Nadine Njeim
Christina Sawaya
MISS LEBANON welcome you